The Crimson Warrior
by Nahcsirea
Summary: The Earth is invaded by an alien force, and Evan Koss, an American Military Soldier, must fend for himself. The a mysterious being in red armor decends from space. Is this being here to help? Or are they here to further threaten Evan's life? R&R please
1. Chapter 1

"What do you mean you don't think there is intelligent life out there?"

"I mean exactly that!"

"But, out of the _entire_ _cosmos_? You don't think there is _one iota_ of another civilization?"

"No, and your crazy to think otherwise."

"Fine. I bet you $50 that our satellite installation gets a signal from intelligent life, or that intelligent life comes to Earth, within two years!"

"Your on, dude! Easiest $50 I'll ever make!"

"Hey! You two! Get back to work! Double time!"

"Yes, Sir!"

Military life. I thought I had finished with it years ago. But here I am. Working at a remote satellite instillation, in the middle of nowhere. Even after seven years, I'm still stuck in the force. What a great way to spend your mid-twenties. I can't wait for my three-day pass. I finally get to go back into town. See my family. My friends. Well, my friends besides Brad.

I met Brad shortly after I was transferred to this area of the country. I was stationed here at the Rimedot Satellite Installation as a security measure. Against what, I had, and still have, no clue. Brad was the first to welcome me. We kind of bonded since then. A brothers-in-arms kind of thing. There were two others with us, but they got transferred out shortly after I got in. I never really got to know them. I can't even remember their names.

The RSI (Rimedot Satellite Installation) is located in the desert areas of Arizona, near the border of Mexico. Luckily, within an hour or two of my hometown. Before being transferred here, I only got to see my family once a year. Twice if I got _lucky_. But now, I get to see them near once a month. It's a good thing too. Lately, it seemed to me that my family was drifting apart from me, because I never saw them. Being transferred here is actually a good thing, in my opinion.

Even though we were stationed here as "security," the staff treats us like shit. They don't respect us, they think we are always in the way, no matter what, and they think we are just plain stupid, trained only to shoot anything that moves. But what they don't realize is that me and Brad have been trained on the use of their satellite equipment more than they ever will. Just one of the perks of being in the military. Me and Brad still get a good chuckle when the staff messes something up, and they have _no_ idea how to fix it.

The staff was particularly pissed today, so, Brad and I decided to take our "security measures" outside, near the entrance to the entire satellite compound. There is a 10-foot, barbed wired, electrocuted fence surrounding the entire instillation, with only one entrance. It is very easy to guard, as you could see an armadillo coming quite a few miles away. And also, to our luck and comfort, there was a small, air-conditioned guardhouse next to the entrance, with field of vision in 360. And also to our un-ending luck, there happened to be a UMD player there, left by the previous guard.

"Why do you listen to this old stuff?"

"Hey, Bohemian Rhapsody is a classic man. A classic! And besides, did _you_ happen to have been able to smuggle a UMD to our post?"

"…No."

"Exactly. So that means we listen to _my_ music, since the radio wont work with those giant hunks of junk so close."

"Ya. You would think with satellites _that_ huge, you would be able to pick up a decent Swedish Polka station!"

"…Swedish Polka? What the hell, Brad?"

"…What? What's wrong with Swedish Polka?"

"Brad. Your insane."

"Oh come on, Evan. Like what you listen to is any better. Japanese?"

"Hey! At least _I_ can understand what they are _saying!_ That's probably more than you can say about you and your _Swedish Polka!_ And besides! I haven't even _played_ any of that. And I don't plan on doing that, cause I know you hate it."

"Well, now I shall call you a _true_ friend! All hail, Evan Koss, the True Friend!"

"Oh just shut up already! Fine. Let's play this one then! I find it _quite_ fitting for us."

"What song is this? I don't think I've ever heard it before."

"Ya. They aren't that well known. It's called 'Soldiers of the Wastelands' by Dragonforce."

"Hahaha! Fitting, indeed, my friend! Fitting indeed!"

"See? Not all my music is…Shit. Hide the UMD player. We got an H5 coming our way. And by the looks of it, it's the Commander's."

"What? Why the hell is that old fart coming all the way out here?"

"How the hell should I know? Just hide the UMD player, give me my UMD, and lets get outside to 'greet' him."

We hurriedly cleaned up the guardhouse, and stood outside, one of us on each side of the entrance, hands on our weapons. We stared at the H5 coming at us for quite a while, the dust coming from behind it making it look like an entire battalion of H5's. When the H5 got within earshot, I moved into the center of the gate, along with Brad. I put up my hand in a 'stop' position, demanding the oncoming vehicle to stop at our "barricade." Brad and I hadn't been out in the sun for long, but we were already sweating buckets from the heat, sun, and the amount of gear we had on. When the vehicle finally got to in front of the gate, it stopped, and the passenger door opened. And, as I had suspected, out came the Commander. Brad and I quickly went to attention, out of habit more than anything.

"At ease, you two." We placed our hands behind our backs, and put our feet apart. "I bet your wondering why I've come out here. Well, if we go into Rimedot, I will explain everything. I don't think you two like it out here much. And I bet you'd like to hop on the back, too." The Commander smiled, and winked ever so slightly. I glanced at Brad, and he had a smile across his face. He saluted the Commander, and then ran to the back of the H5.

"C'mon, Evan! What are you waiting for? I know for a fact you love riding on the backs of these beasts more than me!" That _was_ true. But there was something weird about the Commander. He was usually a lot less chummy at the beginning of our meetings.

Ever since I joined the force, the Commander had been there. He had become like a grandfather, or even second father, to me. Whenever he got the chance, he would spend more time with my unit than others. I think he saw something in me. And when this little meeting with him had happened, it seemed to me like he did the same with Brad.

The ride back to RSI was quite an enjoyable one. The back of the H5 was endlessly bouncing, the wind blowing hard in our faces. One of the only fun things we ever got to do in the force was ride on the back of an H5. When we arrived back at RSI, the Commander escorted us to the main control room. As soon as he entered the door, a senior staff member assaulted the Commander.

"Commander! There you are! Thank the heavens! We have been waiting for you for hours!"

"Yes, yes. What was the urgent matter you wanted to discuss with me?" The staff member was about to start talking, then suddenly seemed to see that Brad and I were standing directly behind the Commander. He eyed us questioningly for a moment, then the Commander spoke. "Don't worry. They are here because I wish for them to hear this."

"…Very well. Well, it started about six or seven hours ago." The staff member led us to a large panel of tapes, with a computer right next to them. He sat down at the computer, and selected various things. "At first, we thought it was just feedback from the Moon, or a foreign satellite or something. But then it just kept coming back." He clicked once more, and the tapes started playing. At first, there was only slight static. But then, there was structured and timed static, like someone screwed with the audio of a VHS tape. "As soon as it got organized like this, we quickly began isolating it, and clearing it up." The static slowly became less and less, and changed to a dull hum. "But then we came across this, only an hour or two ago." Suddenly, the hum became grunts. Deep, throaty, beastly grunts. I was floored. It sounded like communication! "We were absolutely amazed at this! It seemed to us that we had finally located an intelligent life form! So, we went through protocol. We sent out a signal that is usually done tomorrow, which is a series of beeps. What this is intended to do is stimulate a response from the other side, which is to complete the series. We received the completed series in less than 10 seconds!" The senior staff member was practically bouncing in his chair at this point. The Commander seemed to have grown more and more serious, the more that the senior staff member revealed. "And then recently, we sent out a radio signal. The signal we were getting stopped for about a half an hour, but then started up again, two-fold in intensity!" The Commander suddenly put his hand on the staff member's shoulder.

"How many people know of this?"

"Um…about six. All of us here on post. Why?" 'Why?' You don't ask the Commander 'why?' Ever.

"Bentley. This never happened. Understood? You tell your entire staff that as well. What you have discovered here today, must _never_, under _any_ circumstances, leave this room. Give me the tape of the signals you recorded, and burn the rest. Destroy all evidence of this. Never speak of it again. Are we clear?" The senior staff member looked as if he had seen a ghost, been punched in the gut, and told that his wife had left him for another man, all at once. I pitied the poor man then. His entire life he had been waiting for this moment, communication with an Alien species. And the Commander had stripped all of that away from him. I understood why the Commander did this. It was all safety and precaution. But I still couldn't help but feel pity for the man sitting in the chair before me.

"Y…Y-Yes, sir." The staff member slowly turned back towards the computer screen, did a few things, and out popped a disc from the panel of tapes. He took the disc, handed it to the Commander, and then unplugged the computer. He walked to his colleagues, who all looked the same as him. "Destroy it. All evidence."

"Let's go boys. You need to come with me." I glanced at Brad, and he looked at me with the same "What the _hell_ is going on?" look. A thought crossed my mind, and I smirked.

"You owe me $50, fool. Pay up." Brad almost burst out laughing, from the expression on his face. The Commander chuckled.

"Screw you! You know I don't believe in this kind of stuff!"

"You cheap bastard!" I punched his arm, and followed the Commander out of RSI, and inside his H5. I didn't know where we were being taken, but the ride was a long and eerily silent one.


	2. Chapter 2

The vehicle stopped in the middle of nothingness. The only thing there was a large boulder to our right. For some reason, I couldn't help but stare at it, thinking there was something off about it. The Commander looked back at me from the passenger seat. 

"Keen eye you've got there, Koss. I knew I picked you for a reason." I was about to ask him why, when a door on the boulder opened. "Door" for lack of a better word. A large section of the side of the boulder opened outwards, and a very large, burly man in a black suit and sunglasses, with an earpiece, walked out, and up to the Commander's window. "Pass-code Sana 98. Clearance code Masur 16. Authorization code 8." The man in the black suit nodded, and turned back towards the "boulder" and gave a signal. The H5 suddenly shook, as if there was an earthquake. I grabbed hold of the seat in front of me, by reflex, and the Commander chuckled. "Calm down, Koss. You too, Wilder. And remember, with these kinds of special security measures, what you are about to experience, never really happened." We both nodded slowly.

The H5 was slowly going underground. It was as if we were on a giant elevator, in the middle of the desert. "Boys, let me be the first to say it. Welcome, to Area 51." The view that came into my sight was amazing. The wall of underground suddenly gave way to an enormous cavern. It could have easily fit the Statue of Liberty inside, at the highest point, and still have plenty of room for more height. And you could easily fit a lake in the space as well. It must have been a mile or two from side to side. Buildings filled the entire space. There were people everywhere. The elevator we were on was on the far side, so it wasn't long until we touched ground again. Without missing a beat, the H5 drove off, down one of the many streets that lined this underground city.

"I was hoping it would be another year or two before this. But it looks like I was hoping in vain. I brought you two here for special training. As you probably noticed since you joined the force, I've had my eye on you two. The reasons are different for both of you. The signal that RSI picked up has been tracked by us here in A-51, for the past year and a half. It has been getting steadily closer. But since RSI had sent out its radio signal straight to the advancing signal, the space between us and it has dropped dramatically." I was listening intently. Information about extraterrestrial life fascinated me to no end. But even though my ears where glued to the Commander, my eyes were glued to the window of the H5. I watched as we passed strange craft, strange technology, strange everything imaginable. And there was one thing that caught my eye particularly. It seemed to me like a modified H5, but at the same time, looked like it belonged thirty years in the future. "This has begun to worry us. By the sounds coming from the signals, the life-forms don't seem all that happy that they were discovered, or that friendly."

"Then what are we for, sir?" Brad's voice quivered. He sounded nervous.

"That, my boy, is on a need-to-know basis." Brad and I both groaned at this cliché remark used by higher-ups for us. "But luckily for you two, you need to know. Brad Wilder."

"Sir!"

"You will be trained for special combat, and tactical leadership of large forces. You will be on the forefront, if there is an invasion. You will lead our troops with advanced weaponry. Your stop is here." The H5 slowed to a stop in front of a small building. Another man in a black suit opened Brad's door. "I look forward to seeing how you progress in your training, Wilder." Brad got out and saluted the Commander, then looked at me.

"Evan. It's been a blast working with you. Hope to see you soon. I still owe you that $50." I smiled at him, and saluted him back. The man in the black suit closed the door, and the H5 drove off again.

"Evan Koss."

"Sir!"

"What is in store for you is more crucial than what Wilder is going to be doing. You will be one of our communication experts. You will be the first contact with the extraterrestrials, and you will be taught how to operate and use all types of communication machinery. You will also be trained slightly in the way Wilder is being trained. You will also undergo DNA manipulation, which will increase your brain's computing power twenty-fold, increase your reaction timing, and have slight self-healing abilities. Don't worry. This has been tested thoroughly, and is one hundred percent safe. We feel it is necessary. You will still be quite mortal. So don't go around jumping off building just to satisfy your craving for a rush. Also, when the DNA reconstruction is complete, and the basis of your training is complete, you will be given a three-day pass to have a last word to your loved ones. I imagine you wont be able to see them for a long time, once this starts."

"T-Thank you, sir." It's all I could say. It was like I was in some sort of sci-fi novel or movie. DNA reconstruction? Special training? Fore front for a potential invasion? Just what the _hell_ is going on?

"You're a good man, Evan. Don't let other tell you anything else. I know this all probably seems completely crazy, but I assure you, the situation is quite dire. This is your stop. Good luck, my boy." Another black suited man opened my door, allowing me to leave the vehicle. I don't know how long the H5 had been at a stop. My mind was swimming. My head was reeling. I looked back at the Commander, and he smiled at me. I saluted. "Be sure help protect our country. No. Our _world_. I know you will be able. You really were like a grandson to me, Evan. I look forward to the day we get to meet again. But I'm afraid it is me who should be saluting you, now." The Commander saluted, and the H5 drove off, leaving me dumbfounded, and standing alone. My life had completely changed in a matter of hours. Hell, the entire _world_ just changed for me. I knew that nothing would be the same for me, from this moment on. But I did know, that I had been given one last mission. And I had every intention of fulfilling it to the fullest.


	3. Chapter 3

"My name is Pamela. I will be watching over you from now, until your little 'make-over' is complete. Pleasure." She extended her hand to me. She had red fingernail polish on. I looked from her hand, to her black-rimmed glasses, and red-haired bun. The exact replica of a stereotype scientist woman. I extended my hand slowly, and she grabbed it quickly, and shook it vigorously. There was a huge smile across her face, as if she couldn't wait to put me under the microscope. "Well, shall we get started, then? This way." She turned quickly, and walked briskly into the small building behind her. Not knowing what else to do, I simply followed her. The door to the building was a double door with black, what appeared to be, glass, rimmed with steel, with two handles on each door. There was a keypad on the wall to the right of the doors. It was this that I watched Pamela go to first, punch a few keys, and slide a card into. A green light above the doors came on, and Pamela quickly came to the doors, and opened one. "After you." 

Upon walking into the building, the idea of a single person's _home_ came into mind. Nothing at all of what one would expect in Area 51. From where I was standing, I could see a small living room, an even smaller kitchen, a workspace, a sleeping area, and a lab, which took up a little more than half of the floor plan. There was what appeared to be a map of the entirety of Area 51 hanging on the wall to my right, and since I couldn't make heads or tails of it, I only quickly glanced at it, and my gaze went back to the "house" in front of me.

"Quite homey, isn't it?"

"I-I'm sorry?" I felt a little embarrassed that I was staring.

"Nothing at all what you would expect in Area 51, huh? That was exactly what I was thinking when they put me in here about ten years ago. Yes, I am in my late twenties. No, I'm not telling you my exact age. And yes, I live here. Have for the entire ten years. And no, I did not pick my wardrobe. They give us what to wear, and we wear them. No choice in the matter. And yes, I am a motor-mouth." I was staring at her for most of her long-winded speech. She had answered each question as they came up in my mind. I found that both freaky, and intriguing. I was about to ask another question, when she answered it as well. "Yes, I have done this before. You are the fourth person they sent to me. Although the other three were for training on becoming a fellow researcher and or scientist here in the Area. Go ahead, make yourself at home. Oh, and go ahead and put on those clothes on the couch. I bet you're tired of wearing your military gear, right?" She was right. I had gotten annoyed with the weight of all the gear I was wearing, which would never be used. I walked over to the couch to find a stack of clothes. They weren't civilian, by any measure. There was a white t-shirt, a camouflage jacket, camouflage pants, and black boots. Not made for winter, but not made for summer either. The boots appeared to be steel-toe, and high-durability leather. Off to the right was a small changing area, so I decided to use it.

When I came out, there was a strange fragrance in the air. I followed it, and discovered Pamela hunched over something on a counter in the laboratory. As I came closer to investigate, Pamela spoke.

"Pull up your sleeve, and get ready for your DNA Altercation injection. Might hurt for a bit, but you will fall asleep in a few moments." I slowed my pace towards her, and hesitantly pulled up my left sleeve. When Pamela turned around, she had a large syringe in her hands, and the liquid inside was glowing with a strange tint of…black. It fascinated me and made me fear for my personal safety. But before I could step back, and prolong the inevitable, Pamela grabbed my arm, and jabbed the syringe in my vein, with deadly accuracy. I was so surprised and shocked, I couldn't react. By the time the entire contents of the syringe had been emptied into my body, my head was swimming, and the room was getting blurry. Pamela spoke, and it sounded like there were six of her talking at once. "Don't worry. You will wake up in about a day." Blackness clouded my vision, and I felt like I was falling backwards. A throbbing pain in the back and front of my head began pounding away. I remember the feeling of falling, endlessly, in a vast black nothingness, and nothing more.

I bolted upright, almost wide-awake, and strangely aware that something was wrong as soon as my eyes opened. Suddenly remembering what had just transpired, I lifted my left sleeve, only to find a red dot where the syringe had pierced me, what felt like only moments before. I looked again at my surroundings, and noticed that Pamela's house was in complete and utter shambles. The living room coffee table was broken in two, with one half to my right, and the other half near the door. All the beakers, test tubes, and other miscellaneous science equipment was broken, liquids everywhere, glass all over the floor. The lights were flickering. The couch was overturned, and torn in places. From the chair in the corner of the laboratory that I was in, I could see smears of red on the wall in the hallway. Red. It looked so much like…

I jumped out of the chair, and ran to the hallway, and almost retched at the sight. There was Pamela, on the ground. Or at least, what was left of her. Her body looked like wild, hungry beasts had attacked it. One of her arms was over by the doors. Her body from the waist down was to my right. Her torso was to my left. And her head, was on the floor in front of me. It looked as if it was crying blood. Blood also trickled from the corner of her mouth. There was a look of utter horror on her face. My eyes quickly looked up, and spotted my semi-auto rifle on the floor, next to my old outfit. I ran over to it as fast as I could, picked it up, and turned off the safety. I was acting on instincts at this point in time. I rummaged through my old gear, only to discover there was no extra ammunition. One full clip was all I had. My mind raced, trying to figure out what to do next. I didn't even know what the _hell_ was going on, and I was already trying to figure a way out of there. My mind flashed back to the keypad when Pamela brought me in. I didn't want to defile her corpse, but I searched the remains of her clothes for her keycard. When I found it, it was covered in her blood. I wiped it off on my pants, and stuck it in my pocket. I then headed to the door.

When I tried to open the door, I remembered I had no idea where I was, or how to get back to the exit. I remembered there was a map hanging on the wall, so I turned to look. To my utter dissatisfaction, I discovered the map to be torn to shreds, and more than half of it on the floor. But my mind flashed back to the second or two when I glanced at the map when I came in. In my mind, I had brought up a detailed map of Area 51. I could look in on one building, or check the exact coordinates of another. My vision was blurring with the speed at which my mind was racing. What had that serum done to me?

I pushed on the doors, only to discover the doors wouldn't budge. I pushed again, this time with all my strength, but still to no avail. I looked around, and found another keypad, but this one looked as if someone had smashed a rock into it a few times. Without even thinking, I knelt down next to it, placing my rifle right next to me. I pulled off the panel, and examined the wires. Again, my mind traced every little detail of every little wire. Where each one led, what each one did, what would happen if I touched these two, or those two together. I brought a few wires together, multiple times, in different patterns. Eventually, I was rewarded with a loud clicking noise, which came from the door. I hurriedly grabbed my weapon, and walked back towards the door, and pushed it open. I quickly brought my rifle up to my shoulder, ready to fire at anything.

Suddenly, out of nowhere, I was knocked back into the hallway. Something large had hit me squarely in the stomach. Upon skidding a few feet, bumping into the remains of Pamela, I righted myself, and knelt on my left knee, the elbow of the arm supporting my gun, resting on my other leg. I aimed at the doorway, breathing hard. A large black silhouette appeared in the doorway. I didn't even wait for it to come into sight. I fired five rounds, rapid succession. One where the head looked like it should have been. And one each near the base of its limbs. As it was reeling from the shots, I unloaded another ten rounds into it, aiming only at the creature itself. There was a guttural and deep cry from the creature, as it toppled to the ground. I kept still, aimed at the un-moving body, for a full minute. Still no signs of movement, so I slowly got up, and walked slowly towards the body, always with the barrel pointed at the creature, finger ready to fire.

When I got outside the door, I quickly looked around in all directions. Nothing. Was this the only one? Was the sound heard by more creatures? I decided to not wait there and find out. I put another round in the creature for safe measure, and ran across the street to the next building. I pulled up the map in my mind, while looking around myself for any movement. I don't know why I started talking to myself. Maybe it was to calm my utterly frayed nerves.

"Building I just came from. Home and office of Pamela Garcia. Building I am at. Research and Development for Civilian Life. Three buildings to the West, two buildings North, Arms and Munitions Supplies Building Charlie. One building to the west, two to the North from there, Vehicle Depository and Refilling Station Bravo. Northwest of there, Exit Elevator Alpha. Alleyways between each building. Potential cover. Potential ambush areas. Buildings themselves. Potential base for enemy. Enemy. Unknown, alien, deadly. Eliminate upon sight. Objective. _Get the fuck out of here!_ On mark three. One. Two. Three. Move out!"


	4. Chapter 4

I quickly ran to my right. I ducked into the first alleyway, and decided to follow this in-between the buildings to avoid the open roads. One building to the North. I checked the side alleyways between the other buildings. 

"Clear." Two buildings North. Again, checking the side alleyways.

"Clear. West three buildings. Go." Between the buildings was dark. All I could see was what was in front of me, with the occasional check behind me. Almost to the next intersection of alleyways. I heard large, heavy footsteps nearby. My voice lowered to a whisper, only audible to me.

"Hold. Enemy detected. Use extreme caution. Ready weapon." I slowly walked forward, absolutely ready to unload another ten rounds. When I got close to the intersection, I went prone. I looked at the building wall next to me, in the direction the steps were coming from. As soon as I was ready, I rolled into the intersection. Three rounds unloaded upon sight of a hostile enemy while still in rolling motion. The creature let out a loud cry, turning quickly to face me. It was approximately two yards from my position. When I righted myself, I was in the middle of the intersection. "Enemy has detected friendly. Commence suppressive fire." Another six rounds into the creature. The creature landed with a thud, two feet in front of me. I quickly turned around, to check my six o'clock.

"Clear. Enemy down. Commence to first rally point." I turned back towards the way my first mark on my "map" was. Arms and Munitions Building Charlie. My first need was ammunition, and more firearms. One rifle with only enough ammo for a few more creatures was not enough to get my way to second mark, let alone the exit. Another building to the West. I stopped at the edge of this building. Across the street in front of my was my first destination. Between it and me there were three creatures.

"Fourteen rounds used. Sixteen left. Average so far of seven rounds per target. Five rounds short. Extreme warning. High chance of fatality. Best option. Snipe at least one target with a minimum of two rounds. Will draw other two into a bottleneck in the alley. Chance of survival jumps to more than eighty percent. Chances to pull of snipe shot. Good. Take aim. Commencing plan." I aimed carefully at the nearest creature. By their appearance, their heads were lower than where their "shoulders" were. Three glowing orbs seemed to act as eyes. "Taking shot on first target. Prepare for combat." I waited until the creature had taken mid-step, and its "face" was clearly visible. Two rounds quickly expended.

"Direct hit. Target down. Incoming two targets. Retreat into alley for bottle-neck." I quickly dove backwards, and aimed at the next creature. One round into the creature. Ten yards away. Three rounds. Four yards. Seven rounds. Target down at two yards. I stood and started walking towards the next creature, only to watch it bound over it's fallen comrade.

"Unforeseen circumstance. Taking extreme measures." I ran under the creature, and slid onto my back, firing all of my last seven rounds into the creature in the air. The creature landed a yard behind me, exactly where I had been a moment before.

"Target not down. Commence with close-combat measures." I dashed in at the creature, which was still standing shakily, but had turned back to face me. I slammed the shoulder rest of my rifle into what the face of the creature should have been. Once. Twice. Still the creature hadn't gone down, but it was beginning to become shakier on its feet. I brought back my rifle with all of my might and slammed it into the face of the creature. I was rewarded with a loud, bone-breaking crunch, and my rifle going a full five inches into the skull of the creature. I let go of my weapon, and let the creature fall to the ground.

"Final target down. Proceed with extreme caution. Armless." I quickly scanned the street again, and sprinted towards the Munitions building. I made it to the doorway safely, and finding the keypad, I swiped Pamela's card. No result. I tried again. Still nothing. Then I remembered Pamela inputting some numbers into the keypad first. I replayed the moment in my mind, and with exact detail, mirrored the order of the keys, then swiped the card. Success. The green light came on, and I quickly went inside.

"First rally point reached. Refill on arms and munitions. Close quarters weapon is a must. Hand to hand with current enemy not an option." I rushed through the building to find the right room. It was on the first floor, near the back. I entered the room, and the sight before me comforted me to no end. All types of handguns, rifles, shotguns, automatics, and every other type of firearm imaginable, lay before me in this expansive room. There was also a customizing station in the corner, to modify the weapons for each user. I quickly went through the room, and found a double-barreled shotgun, another rifle like my old one, and two handguns. I brought the shotgun to the station, and began work on it. I soon had the last third of the barrels sawed off. A few other minor alterations, and it was ready.

"Accuracy range decreased by five yards. Recommended use at two to seven yards." I put it on a shoulder strap, and slung it on. The next piece were the two handguns. I checked the barrels, and the chambers. I polished them, and buffered them. I checked the sights, and modified them accordingly.

"Accuracy range increased by eight yards. Recommended use at five to twenty-five yards." I holstered those in the hip-holsters I had found. The last to check was the rifle. I didn't do anything with this except adjust the sight. Apparently, the last one to use this knew what they were doing. I slung it over my shoulder. As I was making my way to the munitions for my choice in weapons, something caught my eye. A glint of steel. I turned to look, and there before me was katana of high workmanship. The blade was easily a yard and a half in length. I picked it up off its mount on the wall, and tested the blade. Very sharp. I bent the blade using the floor and my shoe. Strength high. I grabbed the sheath off the wall, and strapped the katana to my back. I picked up as much ammunition for my weapons as I could carry, using all pockets I had, and continued onwards. On the trek to the Vehicle Depository, I encountered another six creatures. All were dealt with using the shotgun. The recoil was immense, but the firepower was even larger. One dual-shot per creature. I had brought twelve rounds for it with me, including the ones in the chamber. I tossed the shotgun outside the Vehicle Depository. Inside, I looked at the various choices of vehicles that lay before me.

"Four choices. Compact, fast, mobile, not armored, and difficult to see in all directions. SUV, slow, hard to control, heavily armored, no need to see. Single person vehicle, very fast, easily tips, zero armor, full 360 of vision. Pickup, relatively fast, easy to handle, hard to tip, slightly armored, sight in almost 360. Fourth choice. Move out." I quickly got in the pickup, and searched for the keys. They were on the visor above the driver's seat. I put the key in the ignition and started it up. I pulled out one of the handguns, and got on the road. I made short work of any creature to get in my path. Green and orange fluids covered my black vehicle of choice within a matter of minutes. The creatures that managed to survive the impact, and stay clinging onto the car, received four rounds in the face from my handgun. By the time I reached the elevator, a third of my handgun ammunition was gone. I decided to abandon the vehicle, and get on the elevator alone. I pressed the "Surface" button, and waited for the elevator to rise. But as soon as the elevator lurched into start, I quickly brought up my rifle. Rushing in on my position was hundreds of creatures. The sight frightened and amazed me. I quickly knelt on one knee, and began to open fire on the creatures.

Three creatures down, reload. Five clips left. Another four, four clips. Estimated distance from creatures, one hundred yards. Estimated distance to surface, one hundred yards. Another three, three clips. Eighty yards. I was high enough off the ground by now that it would be difficult for the creatures to get to me. But to my horror, they sprouted wings from their backs. Large, insect-like wings. I quickly re-opened fire. Four more, two clips. Sixty yards. Another five, one clip. I spent this last clip wisely, and was rewarded with another six creatures down. Forty yards. I threw my rifle down, stood up, and brought out my handguns. I emptied the clips many times, and took out twenty more creatures. Ranged ammo gone. I tossed aside my handguns, and brought out the katana. My last resort. Still another thirty yards to go. The creatures had picked up speed, and were now beginning to land on the elevator. I ran at the first to land, slashing it downwards across the face. It emitted a scream, and fell backwards off the platform. Twenty-five yards. The next two landed on my sides. I slashed horizontally at one, and diagonally up on the other. They fell as they raised their claws for their strike. Twenty yards. Another three. I ran at the middle one, and jumped into the air. I plunged my katana into this one, and brought it through the creature, cutting it cleanly in half. The other two had dashed at me, one of them swinging dangerously close to my neck. I slashed out, cutting off the attacker's arm, and brought my swing through into the other creature, cutting off its head. I turned around and plunged my katana into the face of the second creature before it could attack with its other claw. Ten yards. One last creature. I dashed at the last creature, and brought my katana up in a defensive position. As I swung out, the creature sidestepped, and slashed across my chest with its large claw. The pain was immense. It felt as if there was acid eating away at my flesh. As I quickly looked down at my wound, I was confirmed of my thoughts. There was a green liquid on my skin, bubbling away at my flesh, melting it. I decided to end this quickly, and dashed once again, going at a frenzy at the creature. All it could do was defend itself, which left it with no arms. I brought my katana down through the beast, slicing it in half. Freedom.

The elevator reached the top. I was back in the desert. There were five or six creatures that tried scrambling onto the platform before it closed, and their limbs and parts of their bodies were in a square around me. Then, I heard a clapping noise. I looked around, only to notice not the desert that should be there, but white nothingness. Then a voice reached my ears. I twisted around and saw Pamela, standing there smiling, applauding.

"Well done! Well done! There hasn't been someone to pass that for years! I guess it's time you woke up now, isn't it? See you on the other side!" She smiled again, then faded from my vision. I was about to scream after her, but I fell over, overcome with dizziness. My vision began to swim, and my head was reeling. The next thing I remember, I was falling again through the endless black nothingness.


End file.
